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7 Reasons Food Lovers Need to Go to This Year’s Seattle International Film Festival

Spoiler: It's not just popcorn.

Cuban-Food-Movie

Popcorn, for starters. (DUH!) The SIFF venues that host this month-long celebration of cinema from around the world in May serves awesome versions of that beloved movie munchie, probably because the makers of said snack have much practice popping. It’s free to SIFF members, so the theaters make tons of it. And, yes, it’s especially good with SIFF’s carefully curated offerings of local beer and wine.

Beyond popcorn, this year’s recently announced lineup of six films featuring food and drinks sounds ultra-tasty. The Culinary Cinema selections are sprinkled throughout the festival’s full calendar, and dates are not yet set. Consider this preview an appetizer to get mouths watering.

Cuban Food Stories is a documentary lovingly made by Asori Soto, who left the island nation when he was a kid. He returns to explore food traditions in a place where residents rise to the challenge of doing a lot with limited resources.  

Constructing Albert follows the brother of famous elBulli’s chef, Ferran Adrià in a classic case of sibling rivalry. Sometimes referred to as the world’s most underrated chef, Albert Adrià struggles to build his own legacy while opening restaurants around Madrid.

Wonder what it takes to rate a Michelin-starred review? Viewers visit highly rated restaurants from Paris to New York, Copenhagen to Tokyo, to witness the Herculean efforts made toward creating the perfect meal in Michelin Stars: Tales from the Kitchen.

Thirsty yet? The trio of films devoted to making memorable craft beer (Brewmaster), single malt Scotch (A Golden Dream, directed by Andrew Peat, no less!) and the characters who serve drinks (Schumann’s Bar Talks) will undoubtedly give audiences a new appreciation for the process and the end game.

Happy viewing! Oh, and if you just can’t wait for a food-driven film, Ramen Heads is playing this week at SIFF Uptown. It’s a Japanese film that does a deep dive into the steps meticulously taken to produce noodle soup perfection.

 

Opening Night: Is Ethan Stowell’s Cut Club Happy Hour Going to Solve the Affordability Crisis?

Opening Night: Is Ethan Stowell’s Cut Club Happy Hour Going to Solve the Affordability Crisis?

At Cut Club, the longtime Seattle restaurateur is going old-school, with steaks made for sharing, no service charges, and a happy hour where $12 still buys dinner. 

Cut Club, the new steakhouse inside downtown’s Hotel Max, feels like a restaurant from the not-too-distant past. The menu leans comfortable rather than ambitious or world-spanning. It serves a typical lineup of steak cuts, some traditional sides like oysters, prawn cocktail, and wedge salad, and some cocktails that are between $15 and $20. There’s a…

Outside the Box: Gourmondo Founder Launches Olivina

Outside the Box: Gourmondo Founder Launches Olivina

Alissa Leinonen’s new venture brings her seasonal, Northwest approach to weddings, milestone celebrations, and elevated events.

After 30 years, Alissa Leinonen—founder of renowned catering and box-lunch company, Gourmondo—has launched a new venture. Called Olivina, the new luxury catering and events company focuses on highly personalized, elevated experiences ranging from weddings or other milestone celebrations to corporate gatherings. What started with $4,000 from a refinanced car (and a tiny café in Pike…

7 Washington Fall Festivals Worth the Drive

7 Washington Fall Festivals Worth the Drive

Autumn is back. Celebrate with fresh-hop beer, apple harvests, returning salmon, cranberries, and more. 

Explore 7 fun Washington fall festivals worth the drive, from Leavenworth's Autumn Leaf Festival and Issaquah Salmon Days to CrabFest and Fresh Hop Ale.

Restaurant Roundup: Brunch With a Side of History, Cardamom Lattes, and Chiew Chiew

Restaurant Roundup: Brunch With a Side of History, Cardamom Lattes, and Chiew Chiew

Here’s what was served up recently in the Emerald City.

Hope you’re hungry for a history lesson. Oliver’s, the cocktail lounge inside downtown’s Mayflower Park Hotel, was a Bartell Drugs store during Prohibition before becoming the city’s first hotel bar in the late 1940s—the Carousel Room, named for the carousel horses hung from the ceiling. When Washington repealed the rule forbidding the service of hard…